Colin Corkery keen to protect Nemo's perfect Munster record

Colin Corkery has but fond memories of Munster club football final afternoon; four appearances, four wins.

His beloved Nemo Rangers go in search of a 16th provincial crown this Sunday and with Corkery involved in Steven O’Brien’s backroom team, he’s keen to maintain his healthy relationship with the competition.

The 2001 decider against Fethard of Tipperary was one of the stickier wins during his time in the green and black — 1-11 to 0-10 it finished at Fermoy — so the former Cork footballer is understandably wary of Sunday’s opposition.

“We played Clonmel in a challenge last year. They are a decent side and they are going to be one of the better teams we play this year,” he said.

“They are going well at the moment and have very good players who have impressed for Tipperary. They have a lot of players who have good inter-county experience. They have good Sigerson experience too. It is going to be the hardest game we have played this year, especially in the conditions.

“The average age of their panel is quite young, but the younger guys have been around that panel too for a while. It is not like they have just come in this year. That team has been together for a while now. We have been told they are kinda like Carbery Rangers and we all know how good Carbery Rangers are.”

Give that he’s four from four at this juncture in the club season, what advice might Corkery pass onto his own group this week?

“When there is a cup involved, people tend to get a bit hyperactive and a bit more excited than they normally would. I just feel you are better off treating it as another game, another battle. You have to win the battle first and then you can celebrate after.”

No question Corkery was part of more vaunted Nemo teams, but this current crop are balanced, are tenacious. “Simple football,” they do very well.

There wasn’t a world of difference in terms of ability between the Cork champions and their Munster semi-final opponents Legion. Nemo on the day, however, were once again functional rather than fancy.

“We did the simple things right against Legion. We are battle-hardened at this stage, we have a lot of games under our belt. Especially over the last two months, we have played a lot of games.

“Things are coming right. Don’t get me wrong now, everything is not perfect, but little things are coming together for us. The older players and younger players are blending together. We are drilling it into them to do the simple things and they are reacting to it. That is a good sign.”

Having toiled alongside the likes of Dylan Mehigan, David Niblock and James Masters in the early 2000s, the Nemo selector believes their continued service inside the whitewash has been central to the club’s return to the summit of Cork football, and potentially higher peaks, this season.

“You have Paul Kerrigan and Barry O’Driscoll too. Michael Dorgan and Peter Morgan have come on from the bench. This is the nucleus of the team. It brings the rest of them on when they are playing well.

“On the other side of that, if the older lads aren’t playing well, the younger lads have stepped up. That is a huge thing.”